In the hidden pocket in my dress, my phone buzzed. I know it’s either Seth or Darryl. They’re closing the gym early tonight and they said they’d call to let me know when it’s all locked up. I slip my phone from my pocket and glance at the screen—‘Darryl’—thought so.

Taking the phone call as a heads up, I let it ring out, knowing it’s nothing important.

“Is that Seth? Do you need to go?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s Seth’s coach, Darryl. He said he’d call me when the gym is all locked up.”

“Sweet. How’s the gym going, anyway?”

I smile widely. “It’s going great, actually. We’ve tripled our sign ups.”

My phone buzzes again, drawing my attention and I frown. “Give me a second.” I grab my phone.

“Darryl?”

“Olivia…” He sighs in a tone that sends dread spiraling into the pit of my stomach. “I’m heading over to Seth’s now…I think you should meet me there.”

I’m staring at the top of the desk and seeing nothing but Seth’s face.

“Oli—” Mom steps out of the kitchen and I silence her with a flash of my palm.

“Is everything okay?” I ask slowly, wondering what the hell could have happened in the gym.

“Not really, no.” Piece by piece, he rattles off what Don had done to them. Mom and Chase watch me and I can see their mouths move as they ask questions, but I can’t hear them. By the end of it, my hands are shaking and my vision glazes over in a red haze. Don jumped them in the parking lot? Seth is hurt?

“I’m on my way.”

I hang up and leap from my chair, raking my fingers through my hair.

“O?” Chase asks, his face hard. “What’s going on?”

“Uh,” I shake my head, unable to repeat what Darryl told me.

“Liv?” he says, using his nickname for me. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it and it immediately clears my head. O, Olly, Liv, sometimes it’s hard to keep up.

“Seth is hurt.”

Mom gasps, her fingers reaching up to bridge her lips.

“I have to go.”

I slip my phone into my pocket and run into the kitchen, grabbing my keys off the rack.

“I’ll call you later,” I tell Mom without looking over my shoulder. “You too, Chase.”

I slam the door behind me and my heart begins to race as it all sinks in. I look at my phone. Why hasn’t he called me?

I practically jump into my car and speed away, going way over the speed limit. In the cup holder my phone buzzes and despite the risk, I grab it and read the message.

FROM: SETH. TIME: 7:08PM

Going to bed early tonight. Tired. Sorry.

I drop my phone and press down harder on the accelerator. I shake my head, upset that he neglected to mention he’s hurt in his vague text message. I know he doesn’t want to see me, but I’m not turning around, not when I know he’s hurt.

***

I make it to Seth’s house in record time. His car is there—and so are Darryl’s and Jackson’s. I park on a small angle along the road and barely wait before I turn my car off to get out. Unintentionally, I slam my door and my heart beats harder. Anxiety claws at my chest because I know he doesn’t want to see me right now and I can only imagine how bad his pride hurts. My palms begin to sweat and I rub them together, praying that what I’m about to walk into isn’t going to be anything more than a busted lip.

I shake the thought from my mind. If it were me, he’d never leave my side. The round door knob fits perfectly into the palm of my hand and I turn the handle slowly before slipping into the hallway. Jackson is on me in an instant. His hair is disheveled and I swear I can feel the stress radiating off of him in intense surges. “Heads up, he’s in a really bad mood right now. We’ve checked him out. There are no broken bones or fractured ribs, but he’s a little bruised.”

I slip past Jackson with a nod, ignoring both Selena and Darryl that sit on the couch, staring at nothing. I look at Seth. He keeps his gaze on the floor in front of him, not looking at me once, although I know he knows I’m here. My heart swells in my chest as I scan his body. I see tiny droplets on his skin from a recent shower and even though he’s in pain…I still feel the familiar desire flood my system. That desire quickly molds to anger as my eyes rests on his bruised ribs.

“Can you guys leave us alone for a minute?” I ask, never taking my eyes off Seth.

He tilts his head up and his dark eyes flick to my face. At this angle, I can see the cut high on his cheek bone and the one on his lip has been reopened.

When I hear the back sliding door close, I step forward, never dropping eye contact with him. “Are you all right?” I ask, first and foremost.

His jaw clenches. “I think we both know I’ve seen better days.”

I ignore his attitude. I can’t hold it against him, I’d feel the same if I was in his shoes. Trying a different approach, I step closer and take his hand in mine. I tug on it and he pushes himself to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain of the bruising. I pull him along—through the kitchen up the stairs and into his room. I want privacy. I want to talk to him and take care of him…because he is mine to take care of.

I close the door and wait until Seth has lowered himself on the bed. I flick the light off and kick off my shoes before sliding onto the bed next to him. Out of instinct, I reach out to him, running the open palm of my hand up his damp, hard body. The fresh scent of washed skin fills me and I slide closer, desperately needing to comfort him. As my hand passes over the side of his ribcage he flinches and I pull my hand back, gritting my teeth against a new bout of anger. After a few seconds, I touch him again, purposefully avoiding his tender ribs.

I run my hand over his chest and he grabs my wrist, pulling it up to his mouth and kissing the tips of my fingers. I feel the uneven swells on his lip and my chest almost constricts.

“You didn’t fight back?” I ask as he let my hand go and I move back to sliding it over his stomach.

“Of course I fought back,” he growls and it sends vibrations up my arms and through the rest of my body. “It didn’t matter. They caught me off guard.”

I scowl, trying to picture how it all went down. I noticed Darryl looking a little beat up when I walked in, as well. Don attacked them both? I’m so mad words can’t even begin to describe it.

“How could Don do such a thing?”

Seth scoffs, “It’s been a long time coming, O. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. These are the consequences of being an asshole.”

“Asshole or not, you don’t deserve to be beaten. He has to pay for what he did. We need to get him back, somehow.”

Seth shifts on the bed, turning his body toward me. “He will pay for what he did, but he will pay legally, not physically.”

I hear the skeptical tone in his voice and I know he wishes it was the other way around, but there’s no way Darryl or Jackson is going to let Seth get revenge on Don.

Seth’s large arms surround me and he pulls me into him, holding me slightly against his body. I close my eyes briefly as his thumb strokes my shoulder.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

I feel his body tense and he lets out a slow exhale. “Because I didn’t want you to see me like this…this isn’t how a man should look—all bloodied and bruised.” He shakes his head. “I should have come out on top, if not for me, then at least for you.”

“I don’t think any less of you. In my eyes, you’re still amazing—beyond amazing. I love you. You should’ve called me instead of lying through text.”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“You didn’t have to. You’re guilty by omission.”

His chest fills with air and he expels it with a defeated sigh. “You’re right. I should have called you.”

Satisfied, I pull away from him and he rolls flat on his back. I rest my head on my hand and I don’t say another word as I let my fingers trail his torso, feeling every line and muscle. His skin is soft and smooth, and my fingers glide over the surface easily, as if he were coated in baby oil. It bothers Seth to know he can’t get back at Don, but I can. I can’t get back at him physically, of course. There’s no way I can go toe to toe with Don, even on a good day, but I don’t have to lay a finger on him to bring him to his knees. Darryl knows we recently had cameras installed in and around our gym. I know he’s going to use them against Don legally, but I want to be the one to tell him. I want to see Don’s heart crash and watch everything he’s worked so hard for become an unattainable dream.

I don’t know how long I waited for Seth’s breathing to even, but it eventually does and in the dim lighting seeping through the bathroom door, I can see Seth’s face. It’s the perfect picture of calm. I drag the tips of my fingers from his chest down to his obliques. My fingers slide over the impressions and grooves and I feel his muscles contract briefly before completely relaxing under my touch. It sends a flustering heat through me and I can’t help myself. I run my finger along the band of his shorts, tucking the tip of my index finger under the fabric. A deep, sleepy moan falls from Seth’s lips and it sends an electrical current through me—igniting my skin from my head to my toes. The urge to slip my hand in or to take him in my mouth while he sleeps is strong—so strong I don’t realize I’m digging my fingers into his skin to stop myself from going further. Seth sighs, shifting his body in my direction. Oh, crap. I slip my hand away from him and roll out of the way before he can pin me beneath his large body. Believe me, there’s nothing more I want right now than to be pinned between Seth and a comfortable mattress, but I have revenge to dish out.

I know when Seth finds out what I’m about to do he’s going to flip, but hopefully he sees that I did it for him… well, kind of. I’m also doing it for me. Nothing will make me happier than knowing Don will never be in the same circles as Seth and I. He needs to be knocked down a peg or two and I’ll happily be the person to do it.

I slip off the bed and tip-toe to my shoes, putting them on one by one. I straighten myself and waste no time in opening the door and running from the room. As soon as I close his door behind me, adrenaline flares through my system, pumping hard and fast and kicking my heartbeat up a notch. I don’t know much about Seth’s sleeping pattern so I have to get out of here before he notices I’m gone. I speed walk through the house and out into the backyard. Jackson, Darryl, and Selena are chilling in the barbeque area, not saying a word.

“Where’s Don, Darryl?” I demand, placing my hands firmly on my hips.

Darryl frowns, confused. Then, his eyes widen and he leaps from his chair. “Are you insane?” he demands in a whisper. “You’re going to go see Don?”

I shake my head. “I’m not going to see him. I’m going to destroy him.”

He steps closer. “You don’t want to do that, Olivia. Seth will flip the fuck out and come looking for you.”

“Where is he?” I ask, emphasizing my words.

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to send you to Don on your own.”

“I’ll go with her,” Jackson offers, pushing himself off of a chair next to Selena.

“Jackson, you saw what they did to Seth. You’re not going,” Selena protests.

Jackson ignores her, keeping his eyes on Darryl. With a frustrated exhale, Selena pulls a cigarette from her pocket and ignites it, inhaling deeply. Jackson’s eyes shift, zeroing in on her. Selena’s green eyes settle on his face, almost like she’s challenging him. Without hesitating, he yanks the cigarette from her lips before crushing it beneath his sneaker. Selena rolls her eyes, expelling the smoke before glancing at me. I guess she wasn’t kidding when she said Jackson hates her smoking.

There’s a warning in Jackson’s eyes before he turns them on Darryl. “I know where he is. C’mon, O.”

Jackson grabs my arm and pulls me forward, but Darryl steps in front of us, blocking the door. “If Seth wakes up and finds you gone, he’s going to come down here looking for you. What do you expect me to tell him?”

I shrug. “Tell him the truth. I won’t hide anything from him.”

Darryl laughs once, running his hands over his face and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Tell him the truth? Are you insane? If I tell him the truth, the only thing standing between him and you and Don is me, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I’ve already been treated like a fucking boxing bag today.”

Sighing, I step closer to Darryl. “You can go home. You don’t have to have any part in this.”

He blinks at me.

“Please, Darryl, move. I need to do this.”

He exhales, shaking his head. “He’ll be at his gym on Weir Road. He has a night time training schedule on Tuesdays.”

Before I can say thank you I’ve already pushed past him and headed out the door with Jackson in tow.

***

I drive fast, occasionally noticing Jackson wipe the palms of his hands over his jeans from time to time.

“Are you scared of Don?” I ask, gripping the steering wheel out of my own fear.

He snorts, like I’ve said something ridiculous. “Don couldn’t provoke fear in me even if he was a hundred feet tall and fifty feet wide.”

My brows furrow.

“Seth, however,” he shakes his head. “is a different situation entirely.”

I chew my bottom lip. I’ve seen Seth angry before, but I haven’t seen him as angry as this will undoubtedly make him. Strangely though, I don’t feel bad about it, and if I get out of this okay, then no harm done.